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Crone
Not yet published
Expected 22 Sep 26A haunting, fearsome story of a father searching for his missing daughter and finding darkness—both human and not—at every turn, from the author of the “exciting, suspenseful, horrifying” (Stephen King) Fever House
Eli Lamp is a broken man. An ex-detective, ex-addict, and long-grieving father whose daughter, Hannah, disappeared a decade before, Eli decimated his old life investigating her abduction and is now indebted to the Crooked Wheel, a local drug gang, as an enforcer. He lives in a rundown trailer at the edge of the woods, where he keeps Hannah’s room in pristine condition and tries to make it through one day at a time.
But when the son of the Crooked Wheel’s boss is found viciously murdered in a crime scene that doesn’t seem to add up, Eli receives a new order: Find out who the killer is and your debt to the Wheel is clear forever. You’re free. This pursuit brings him into the orbit of Avery Bryant, Hannah’s best friend and the last person to see her before she went missing. Soon, Eli and Avery are entwined in a hunt for answers that spans decades, stretches the realm of possibility, and brings churning to the surface a conspiracy linking not only these current tragedies, but the buried sorrows of Eli’s past.
And though none of them dare say the word "witch," at least not out loud, something lurks in the woods, bent-backed and black-eyed, clawed and vengeful, looming ever closer. . . .
Eli Lamp is a broken man. An ex-detective, ex-addict, and long-grieving father whose daughter, Hannah, disappeared a decade before, Eli decimated his old life investigating her abduction and is now indebted to the Crooked Wheel, a local drug gang, as an enforcer. He lives in a rundown trailer at the edge of the woods, where he keeps Hannah’s room in pristine condition and tries to make it through one day at a time.
But when the son of the Crooked Wheel’s boss is found viciously murdered in a crime scene that doesn’t seem to add up, Eli receives a new order: Find out who the killer is and your debt to the Wheel is clear forever. You’re free. This pursuit brings him into the orbit of Avery Bryant, Hannah’s best friend and the last person to see her before she went missing. Soon, Eli and Avery are entwined in a hunt for answers that spans decades, stretches the realm of possibility, and brings churning to the surface a conspiracy linking not only these current tragedies, but the buried sorrows of Eli’s past.
And though none of them dare say the word "witch," at least not out loud, something lurks in the woods, bent-backed and black-eyed, clawed and vengeful, looming ever closer. . . .
352 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication September 22, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 227 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
🖤💚🖤💚🖤💚🖤💚🖤💚🖤💚🖤
Keith Rosson captured my heart and my full attention last year with Coffin Moon. There was something so devilishly-good about that book. The setting, the grittiness of the plot, the characters; it was a whole mood. It all worked for me and has remained in my mind ever since.
To say that I was excited to get an early-copy of this novel, Crone, would be putting it so mildly it wouldn't even register. I was stoked for this and as you can tell from my rating, I wasn't disappointed for a moment.
This novel matches Coffin Moon in tone, so if you also enjoyed that one, I would highly recommend reading this as well. The big difference would be while Coffin Moon is a bit of a vampiric romp, Crone is for the witches in the crowd.
This continues the classic dark Crime Fiction feel that Coffin Moon brought, and is actually even set in the same area of the United States, just in a later time period.
This story follows Eli Lamp, an ex-detective, turned addict, turned ex-addict, whose daughter disappeared 10-years ago. Eli's battled his emotions since Hannah's been gone, but the guilt and grief frequently overwhelm him.
Due to a certain incident Eli got himself involved in while investigating Hannah's disappearance, he's also now indebted to a local drug gang, the Crooked Wheel. They utilize his skills as an enforcer. It's a dark road he's traveled.
We also follow a young woman named Avery. Avery was actually Hannah's best friend, and the two were together on the night that Hannah disappeared. Like Eli, Hannah has also really struggled since that night. The guilt and shame she's felt since Hannah disappeared has definitely defined the trajectory of her life so far.
Avery fled their small town as soon as she graduated high school, unable to stand the whispers and looks any longer. Recently though, she's been having extremely vivid dreams of Hannah calling her back.
After the boss of the Crooked Wheel's son is found brutally murdered, he asks Eli to investigate it, so they can bring the killer to justice. If Eli's successful, he won't owe them any longer. He'll be a free man.
His investigation brings him into the orbit of Avery, recently returned to town, a girl he never thought he'd see again. Soon the two are entwined in a search for answers that all link back to the night their dear Hannah disappeared.
Contrary to everything they might believe in, signs point to a mysterious something lurking the woods. A something with a bent back, black eyes and claws. No one wants to say witch, but it's a thought...
This is such a beautifully-devastating story. My heart aches with the weight of it. It's gritty and violent, showcasing the worst acts that humans can do unto each other.
There's also a rawness to it all, with humanity just bleeding off the page. Rosson does such an incredible job of examining dark emotions, such as guilt, grief and self-doubt, even hate. This is vengeance-fueled story, much like Coffin Moon, and I was completely invested.
I loved the direction Rosson ultimately went with this. I will say the way he laid it all out, it's not a path I would typically enjoy, but I think in this case, just because of the overall emotion of the story, it actually worked. He pulled it off.
If you've never read Rosson before, you've got time. Pick up Coffin Moon before this one releases in September. If you like that vibe, you should absolutely pick this one up as well.
Also, I definitely recommend this for fans of Witchy stories, particularly if you're itching for something opposite of all the Cozy Witchy vibes we seem to be getting lately.
This is full stop a Horror novel. It's violent, gory and full of complicated topics and emotions. It's absolutely stellar and I cannot wait for a hard copy to take residence on my shelves.
Thank you to the publisher, Random House, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This will definitely be making my Best Books of 2026 list!!!
Keith Rosson captured my heart and my full attention last year with Coffin Moon. There was something so devilishly-good about that book. The setting, the grittiness of the plot, the characters; it was a whole mood. It all worked for me and has remained in my mind ever since.
To say that I was excited to get an early-copy of this novel, Crone, would be putting it so mildly it wouldn't even register. I was stoked for this and as you can tell from my rating, I wasn't disappointed for a moment.
This novel matches Coffin Moon in tone, so if you also enjoyed that one, I would highly recommend reading this as well. The big difference would be while Coffin Moon is a bit of a vampiric romp, Crone is for the witches in the crowd.
This continues the classic dark Crime Fiction feel that Coffin Moon brought, and is actually even set in the same area of the United States, just in a later time period.
This story follows Eli Lamp, an ex-detective, turned addict, turned ex-addict, whose daughter disappeared 10-years ago. Eli's battled his emotions since Hannah's been gone, but the guilt and grief frequently overwhelm him.
Due to a certain incident Eli got himself involved in while investigating Hannah's disappearance, he's also now indebted to a local drug gang, the Crooked Wheel. They utilize his skills as an enforcer. It's a dark road he's traveled.
We also follow a young woman named Avery. Avery was actually Hannah's best friend, and the two were together on the night that Hannah disappeared. Like Eli, Hannah has also really struggled since that night. The guilt and shame she's felt since Hannah disappeared has definitely defined the trajectory of her life so far.
Avery fled their small town as soon as she graduated high school, unable to stand the whispers and looks any longer. Recently though, she's been having extremely vivid dreams of Hannah calling her back.
After the boss of the Crooked Wheel's son is found brutally murdered, he asks Eli to investigate it, so they can bring the killer to justice. If Eli's successful, he won't owe them any longer. He'll be a free man.
His investigation brings him into the orbit of Avery, recently returned to town, a girl he never thought he'd see again. Soon the two are entwined in a search for answers that all link back to the night their dear Hannah disappeared.
Contrary to everything they might believe in, signs point to a mysterious something lurking the woods. A something with a bent back, black eyes and claws. No one wants to say witch, but it's a thought...
This is such a beautifully-devastating story. My heart aches with the weight of it. It's gritty and violent, showcasing the worst acts that humans can do unto each other.
There's also a rawness to it all, with humanity just bleeding off the page. Rosson does such an incredible job of examining dark emotions, such as guilt, grief and self-doubt, even hate. This is vengeance-fueled story, much like Coffin Moon, and I was completely invested.
I loved the direction Rosson ultimately went with this. I will say the way he laid it all out, it's not a path I would typically enjoy, but I think in this case, just because of the overall emotion of the story, it actually worked. He pulled it off.
If you've never read Rosson before, you've got time. Pick up Coffin Moon before this one releases in September. If you like that vibe, you should absolutely pick this one up as well.
Also, I definitely recommend this for fans of Witchy stories, particularly if you're itching for something opposite of all the Cozy Witchy vibes we seem to be getting lately.
This is full stop a Horror novel. It's violent, gory and full of complicated topics and emotions. It's absolutely stellar and I cannot wait for a hard copy to take residence on my shelves.
Thank you to the publisher, Random House, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This will definitely be making my Best Books of 2026 list!!!
March 16, 2026
HOLY 😱😱😱😱! That was a killer read! I’m emotionally wrecked inside. I’m speechless, so, just let me catch my breath a minute here.
😭😭😭😭😭
Oh, and guess what? You don’t really need a synopsis when it comes to this author. Nope. You just read it! If you loved Coffin Moon, it’s pretty much a guarantee that you’ll be obsessed with Crone!
Rosson has a style to his writing that has grit and a whole lot of heart. He allows the reader to feel a connection to his characters and gets you feeling all kinds of sh**!
Imagine part Sons of Anarchy, a creature feature, grief horror, and stir that up with some diabolical witchery. I was hooked from page one! I couldn’t get my eyes to read fast enough.
Crone is addictive and brutal while pulling at your heartstrings. I didn’t want it to end and neither will you! And let me clarify this is the third horror novel I’ve ever weeped over. 😭 Get ready folks, this stunner of a novel will hold you hostage.
5 GLORIOUS ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Out 9/26
Thank you to Random House, NetGalley, and Keith Rosson for the gifted copy.
😭😭😭😭😭
Oh, and guess what? You don’t really need a synopsis when it comes to this author. Nope. You just read it! If you loved Coffin Moon, it’s pretty much a guarantee that you’ll be obsessed with Crone!
Rosson has a style to his writing that has grit and a whole lot of heart. He allows the reader to feel a connection to his characters and gets you feeling all kinds of sh**!
Imagine part Sons of Anarchy, a creature feature, grief horror, and stir that up with some diabolical witchery. I was hooked from page one! I couldn’t get my eyes to read fast enough.
Crone is addictive and brutal while pulling at your heartstrings. I didn’t want it to end and neither will you! And let me clarify this is the third horror novel I’ve ever weeped over. 😭 Get ready folks, this stunner of a novel will hold you hostage.
5 GLORIOUS ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Out 9/26
Thank you to Random House, NetGalley, and Keith Rosson for the gifted copy.
July 21, 2026
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
I don’t usually like witch shit. Something about their stories makes me check out faster than a runaway broomstick. But Crone broke the mold for me. Probably because it wasn’t a witch book at all.
It was a beautiful exploration of addiction, guilt, loneliness, and the fucked up-ness of families. The witch was purely a literary device that elevated the themes to a supernaturally-charged level.
Rosson is a gifted writer, and he can pen scenes that pull me into its world with ease. I am always transported into the griminess and rawness of them, and his characters jump off of the page with their believability.
Crone was a really good read, and Rosson has reached auto-read status for me.
I don’t usually like witch shit. Something about their stories makes me check out faster than a runaway broomstick. But Crone broke the mold for me. Probably because it wasn’t a witch book at all.
It was a beautiful exploration of addiction, guilt, loneliness, and the fucked up-ness of families. The witch was purely a literary device that elevated the themes to a supernaturally-charged level.
Rosson is a gifted writer, and he can pen scenes that pull me into its world with ease. I am always transported into the griminess and rawness of them, and his characters jump off of the page with their believability.
Crone was a really good read, and Rosson has reached auto-read status for me.
March 16, 2026
5⭐️ I loved Keith Rosson’s last book Coffin Moon and was so excited to receive an arc of Crone! It is Amazing! Horror at its best!!! I was hooked right away and could not put it down! It’s fast paced, emotional, tragic, tense, creepy and gorey.
The story starts with the disappearance of 15 year old Hannah. Her drug addicted dad Eli a former cop, gets clean and dedicates himself to looking for her. After an incident with a motorcycle gang he becomes indebted to Dave Novak their leader.
Some creepy things begin to happen starting with the brutal murder of Dave’s son Anton.
Who is the supernatural force behind the murder? How far will Eli go after years pass to find Hannah? This story is dark and has some really bloody scenes, but it is a story of love and redemption and about as perfect of a horror story as I’ve read!
Thanks to NetGalley, Random House Publishers, and Keith Rosson for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.
The story starts with the disappearance of 15 year old Hannah. Her drug addicted dad Eli a former cop, gets clean and dedicates himself to looking for her. After an incident with a motorcycle gang he becomes indebted to Dave Novak their leader.
Some creepy things begin to happen starting with the brutal murder of Dave’s son Anton.
Who is the supernatural force behind the murder? How far will Eli go after years pass to find Hannah? This story is dark and has some really bloody scenes, but it is a story of love and redemption and about as perfect of a horror story as I’ve read!
Thanks to NetGalley, Random House Publishers, and Keith Rosson for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.
May 29, 2026
Grit, dirt, terror.
The Blair Witch Project meets Sons of Anarchy meets Snatch.
A small town, desolate highway, dingy motel rooms, despair. A missing girl and a father’s mistakes.
This is an authentic and real horror. Storytelling at its upmost. Bikers, drugs, crime. Layer upon poetic layer of deplorable and sketchy shit. The horror was vivid, visceral and terrifying. This was a wild ride. I loved the Coffin Moon references; the clever weaving of stories. It turned into something complex, human and broken.
Quite possibly one of my favourites ever.
‘That they might use a heart or a liver of an animal besmirched in thorns to call upon an enemy to suffer.’
‘“Old sails, old bodies, old souls. Grasp the mast and fill the hole”. He laughed his child’s laugh…’
‘Whatever’s making that noise, I don’t want to see it.’
‘He stood there, felt the weight of all his wasted years howling around him.’
‘rain, the canopy of night above her, all these trees…’
5 STARS
(Thanks to Netgalley for the arc)
The Blair Witch Project meets Sons of Anarchy meets Snatch.
A small town, desolate highway, dingy motel rooms, despair. A missing girl and a father’s mistakes.
This is an authentic and real horror. Storytelling at its upmost. Bikers, drugs, crime. Layer upon poetic layer of deplorable and sketchy shit. The horror was vivid, visceral and terrifying. This was a wild ride. I loved the Coffin Moon references; the clever weaving of stories. It turned into something complex, human and broken.
Quite possibly one of my favourites ever.
‘That they might use a heart or a liver of an animal besmirched in thorns to call upon an enemy to suffer.’
‘“Old sails, old bodies, old souls. Grasp the mast and fill the hole”. He laughed his child’s laugh…’
‘Whatever’s making that noise, I don’t want to see it.’
‘He stood there, felt the weight of all his wasted years howling around him.’
‘rain, the canopy of night above her, all these trees…’
5 STARS
(Thanks to Netgalley for the arc)
April 23, 2026
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my Advanced Reader’s Copy. This was one of my most anticipated reads this year and it did not disappoint. Brutal, gritty, terrifying, heartbreaking. It grabs you and won’t let you go. A must read in modern horror (and an instant read author for me). Don’t sleep on this one, coming 9/22/26.
July 29, 2026
Thank you Random House for my free ARC of Crone by Keith Rosson — out September 22!
» READ IF YOU «
🩸 love your horror gritty, brutal, and grief-soaked
🐦⬛ want folk-horror creatures that feel otherworldly
🔪 are here for crime noir with a whisper of the supernatural
» SYNOPSIS «
Eli is a broken man. He’s kicked the drugs but lost his job, and has been grieving his missing daughter for a decade. His former detective skills come in handy for the Crooked Wheel, a local drug gang, to whom he’s more or less permanently indebted. But the boss's son turns up murdered in a bizarre scene, and Eli's given one final offer: find the killer, and his debt is cleared. The search pulls him back to the disappearance of his daughter, and into the path of something far darker—and far less human—than he bargained for.
» REVIEW «
Keith Rosson is the king of dark and gritty crime horror—this isn't atmosphere as set dressing, it's a whole world founded in grief, violence, and imperfect characters. The paranormal bits, when you get a glimpse, are unsettling in a way that keeps you flipping pages faster and faster, but maybe with the light on, mkay? Rosson always manages to perfectly balance the otherworldly with the stark humanity of crime noir, and it’s what makes his books so unique.
Eli is exactly the kind of flawed protagonist I want carrying a story like this. He’s broken, complicit, corrupt, but still trying his best. Nobody here is squeaky clean, not even our saintly missing daughter, which is exactly what makes the characters feel so real and why it all hits that much harder. This is grief horror and small-town noir fused together at the core, and it does not pull a single punch. My fave from Rosson so far!
» RATING «
🏃♀️ I’m Breathless 🏃♀️
» READ-A-LIKES «
• King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby
• The Removed by Brandon Hobson
• Sons of Anarchy (TV show)
• Disappearance at Devil's Rock by Paul Tremblay
» READ IF YOU «
🩸 love your horror gritty, brutal, and grief-soaked
🐦⬛ want folk-horror creatures that feel otherworldly
🔪 are here for crime noir with a whisper of the supernatural
» SYNOPSIS «
Eli is a broken man. He’s kicked the drugs but lost his job, and has been grieving his missing daughter for a decade. His former detective skills come in handy for the Crooked Wheel, a local drug gang, to whom he’s more or less permanently indebted. But the boss's son turns up murdered in a bizarre scene, and Eli's given one final offer: find the killer, and his debt is cleared. The search pulls him back to the disappearance of his daughter, and into the path of something far darker—and far less human—than he bargained for.
» REVIEW «
Keith Rosson is the king of dark and gritty crime horror—this isn't atmosphere as set dressing, it's a whole world founded in grief, violence, and imperfect characters. The paranormal bits, when you get a glimpse, are unsettling in a way that keeps you flipping pages faster and faster, but maybe with the light on, mkay? Rosson always manages to perfectly balance the otherworldly with the stark humanity of crime noir, and it’s what makes his books so unique.
Eli is exactly the kind of flawed protagonist I want carrying a story like this. He’s broken, complicit, corrupt, but still trying his best. Nobody here is squeaky clean, not even our saintly missing daughter, which is exactly what makes the characters feel so real and why it all hits that much harder. This is grief horror and small-town noir fused together at the core, and it does not pull a single punch. My fave from Rosson so far!
» RATING «
🏃♀️ I’m Breathless 🏃♀️
» READ-A-LIKES «
• King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby
• The Removed by Brandon Hobson
• Sons of Anarchy (TV show)
• Disappearance at Devil's Rock by Paul Tremblay
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
3.5 stars
✨✨✨Gritty crime + Horror✨✨✨
This is my second book by Keith Rosson and to be honest, I had a difficult time getting into this one. I was intrigued by the plot but at the same time some of it just felt a bit weighed down.
There was a lot going on with drug addiction and poverty which I found was written very well and engaging. However, it did seem like some of the plot really did drag. Don’t get me wrong, the writing is very well done and sets the atmosphere wonderfully. The portrayal of addiction seemed especially well done. It was all just a bit slow paced for me.
The meat of the story reads as gritty crime detective and closer towards the end of the book was when we really got to the Crone stuff. Which I loved, but just seemed very drawn out to get to that point. Also, I was expecting more witch horror than crime. The last like 1/3 was spectacular and that ending I LOVED!!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free ebook copy in exchange for an honest review. This book is expected to be released September 22, 2026.
✨✨✨Gritty crime + Horror✨✨✨
This is my second book by Keith Rosson and to be honest, I had a difficult time getting into this one. I was intrigued by the plot but at the same time some of it just felt a bit weighed down.
There was a lot going on with drug addiction and poverty which I found was written very well and engaging. However, it did seem like some of the plot really did drag. Don’t get me wrong, the writing is very well done and sets the atmosphere wonderfully. The portrayal of addiction seemed especially well done. It was all just a bit slow paced for me.
The meat of the story reads as gritty crime detective and closer towards the end of the book was when we really got to the Crone stuff. Which I loved, but just seemed very drawn out to get to that point. Also, I was expecting more witch horror than crime. The last like 1/3 was spectacular and that ending I LOVED!!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free ebook copy in exchange for an honest review. This book is expected to be released September 22, 2026.
July 14, 2026
First of all, thank you to Keith who saw me being mentally ill about Coffin Moon and asked if I’d like an arc of Crone. A top 5 moment of my life for sure.
Second of all, what a ride. This book is bleak and brutal and incredibly depressing. A large helping of crime fiction with thoughtful, wildflower-y(do not expect me to explain) prose with that ever creeping hint of the supernatural that builds up until it can’t be ignored.
Third, I loved the callbacks to sEVERAL backlist items, especially the one I was doing backflips over.
Fourth I know they’re fictional but I’m killing the crooked wheel with my mind!!!!
Second of all, what a ride. This book is bleak and brutal and incredibly depressing. A large helping of crime fiction with thoughtful, wildflower-y(do not expect me to explain) prose with that ever creeping hint of the supernatural that builds up until it can’t be ignored.
Third, I loved the callbacks to sEVERAL backlist items, especially the one I was doing backflips over.
Fourth I know they’re fictional but I’m killing the crooked wheel with my mind!!!!
April 14, 2026
A perfectly unsettling and disturbing read interweaving normal day to day life with the supernatural and it just working. More than working, it flowed and kept me hooked from start to finish. I wanted better for most of the characters and by reading this I feel like it gave them a voice when theirs had been stolen. Enchanting and disturbing in equal measure.
April 15, 2026
This is for the girls who have ✨daddy issues✨
Picture it.. missing teen, devastated dad, biker gangs, small town worthless cops, witchcraft, and a sprinkle of little details from the Rosson multiverse.
That’s it. That’s the review. Oh, and I cried.
Picture it.. missing teen, devastated dad, biker gangs, small town worthless cops, witchcraft, and a sprinkle of little details from the Rosson multiverse.
That’s it. That’s the review. Oh, and I cried.
August 1, 2026
4.5⭐️ - RTC
July 21, 2026
“Crone” - “Sister, Mother, Daughter, Crone, Keeper.”
★★★★☆ (4,5)
This story felt like a Wire Dream (and they are supposed to be good dreams, but this dream was definitely not about happy memories, sunshine or rainbows.)
“Crone” was my first (but definitely not my last) novel by Keith Rosson and I was hooked from the get go. The atmosphere is this book is so heavy and dark that it feels like a constant black fog surrounding you and pulling you deeper into the story until there is no way out. Grief comes in many forms, shapes and sizes, so does guilt, vengeance and pain. They’re all woven into a raw heartbreaking tale and I will be thinking about this one for a while.
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC, I leave this review voluntarily.
★★★★☆ (4,5)
This story felt like a Wire Dream (and they are supposed to be good dreams, but this dream was definitely not about happy memories, sunshine or rainbows.)
“Crone” was my first (but definitely not my last) novel by Keith Rosson and I was hooked from the get go. The atmosphere is this book is so heavy and dark that it feels like a constant black fog surrounding you and pulling you deeper into the story until there is no way out. Grief comes in many forms, shapes and sizes, so does guilt, vengeance and pain. They’re all woven into a raw heartbreaking tale and I will be thinking about this one for a while.
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC, I leave this review voluntarily.
July 13, 2026
This book was everything I hoped for and more. I already knew I enjoyed this author’s writing, but the thrill, imagery, and gore in this book are beyond.
I think I’m still in shock with how much I loved it that I can’t write a full detailed review at this moment, but I loved it from the prologue until the last page. Loved the Coffin Moon plot shoutout - this man loves his biker gangs!
Would absolutely recommend this book to any and everyone - I cannot wait for its release. I will read anything Keith writes moving forward.
Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I think I’m still in shock with how much I loved it that I can’t write a full detailed review at this moment, but I loved it from the prologue until the last page. Loved the Coffin Moon plot shoutout - this man loves his biker gangs!
Would absolutely recommend this book to any and everyone - I cannot wait for its release. I will read anything Keith writes moving forward.
Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
April 22, 2026
Crone by Keith Rosson
Ok, here is another brillant novel by Keith Rosson. Crone is gritty crime novel in a rundown town full of criminals, corrupt cops and drug addicts. If this was all the story was about, it would still be a 5 star read. But with a title like Crone, you know the story is interlaced with supernatural horror. Eli Lamp is an ex-detective who is forced to work for the local motorcycle club as an enforcer and drug runner. A moment in his past has him indebted to the boss. But he is offered the chance to wipe the slate clean if uses his old detective skills to find out who murdered the gang leaders son. Eli, like most of the characters in this book, is a fuck up. He lost his wife not long after the birth of his only child. This led him down the path of drug addiction and losing his job with local police. Then years later his daughter Hannah goes missing and to this day no one knows what happened to her. Eli just trudges through life in despair and alcoholism, barely holding on. There are not a lot of redeeming qualities to Eli Lamp. But Rosson’s amazing character work is on display yet again. You can’t help but root for and sympathise with Eli (and some of the other characters). You are in their heads, feeling what they are feeling. It’s the best part of the book. I won’t go into spoilers about the horror aspects of this book. There are no cackling old ladies with pointy hats and warts on their noses. When Rosson writes horror themes (witches with Crone, vampires with Coffin Moon) you know you are getting unique interpretations from his twisted imagination. Rosson expertly weaves multiple POV’s and two different timelines so well together it reminded me of the narrative structure of the movie Weapons. If you can’t tell, I loved Crone. The characters and emotion. The unique twists. The brutal and gory horror. Crone is due to release on 22nd September. Preorder your copy now. Thanks to Black Crow Books and NetGalley for allowing me to review an ARC copy.
Ok, here is another brillant novel by Keith Rosson. Crone is gritty crime novel in a rundown town full of criminals, corrupt cops and drug addicts. If this was all the story was about, it would still be a 5 star read. But with a title like Crone, you know the story is interlaced with supernatural horror. Eli Lamp is an ex-detective who is forced to work for the local motorcycle club as an enforcer and drug runner. A moment in his past has him indebted to the boss. But he is offered the chance to wipe the slate clean if uses his old detective skills to find out who murdered the gang leaders son. Eli, like most of the characters in this book, is a fuck up. He lost his wife not long after the birth of his only child. This led him down the path of drug addiction and losing his job with local police. Then years later his daughter Hannah goes missing and to this day no one knows what happened to her. Eli just trudges through life in despair and alcoholism, barely holding on. There are not a lot of redeeming qualities to Eli Lamp. But Rosson’s amazing character work is on display yet again. You can’t help but root for and sympathise with Eli (and some of the other characters). You are in their heads, feeling what they are feeling. It’s the best part of the book. I won’t go into spoilers about the horror aspects of this book. There are no cackling old ladies with pointy hats and warts on their noses. When Rosson writes horror themes (witches with Crone, vampires with Coffin Moon) you know you are getting unique interpretations from his twisted imagination. Rosson expertly weaves multiple POV’s and two different timelines so well together it reminded me of the narrative structure of the movie Weapons. If you can’t tell, I loved Crone. The characters and emotion. The unique twists. The brutal and gory horror. Crone is due to release on 22nd September. Preorder your copy now. Thanks to Black Crow Books and NetGalley for allowing me to review an ARC copy.
Want to Read
March 7, 2026author of one of my favorite books last year: Coffin Moon!
super excited for this one! Pub date: 9/2026
super excited for this one! Pub date: 9/2026
August 20, 2026
A Dark, Bleak Descent Into Folk Horror
Crone by Keith Rosson
Crone is a grim, atmospheric fusion of crime noir, folk horror, and supernatural mystery that intensifies in darkness the further you delve into it.
At its core is Eli Lamp, a former detective and recovering addict haunted by the thirteen-year-old disappearance of his teenage daughter, Hannah. When the son of a local drug gang boss is brutally murdered, Eli is allowed to clear his debt by finding the killer. His investigation reconnects him with Hannah’s former best friend, Avery, revealing strong links between the murder and Hannah’s vanishing.
What initially appears to be a gritty crime story rapidly evolves into something far stranger and more unsettling. Disturbances in the woods, whispers of a sinister, almost witch-like presence, and a sense that ancient, malevolent forces lie just beneath the surface all underscore the story's growing dread.
Rosson merges human and supernatural elementswith ease. The crime narrative is brutal and realistic, while the folk-horror scenes become increasingly eerie and surreal. Themes of grief, addiction, guilt, and the longing for closure impart genuine emotional depth to the horror.
The book’s strongest asset is its atmosphere. It exudes an oppressive, bleak sense of impending doom, making it impossible not to feel that something terrible is imminent. Rosson also does a great job of maintaining the supernatural mystery, avoiding overexplanation and keeping you guessing.
If you appreciate folk horror, dark crime fiction, missing-person mysteries, or stories thick with dread, Crone is an essential read. It is a bleak, violent, and unsettling journey, but beneath the horror lies a powerful story of loss and the relentless pursuit of answers.
A potent blend of crime noir and folk horror filled with atmosphere.
My sincere thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an E-arc and the opportunity to share my honest opinion.
Crone by Keith Rosson
Crone is a grim, atmospheric fusion of crime noir, folk horror, and supernatural mystery that intensifies in darkness the further you delve into it.
At its core is Eli Lamp, a former detective and recovering addict haunted by the thirteen-year-old disappearance of his teenage daughter, Hannah. When the son of a local drug gang boss is brutally murdered, Eli is allowed to clear his debt by finding the killer. His investigation reconnects him with Hannah’s former best friend, Avery, revealing strong links between the murder and Hannah’s vanishing.
What initially appears to be a gritty crime story rapidly evolves into something far stranger and more unsettling. Disturbances in the woods, whispers of a sinister, almost witch-like presence, and a sense that ancient, malevolent forces lie just beneath the surface all underscore the story's growing dread.
Rosson merges human and supernatural elementswith ease. The crime narrative is brutal and realistic, while the folk-horror scenes become increasingly eerie and surreal. Themes of grief, addiction, guilt, and the longing for closure impart genuine emotional depth to the horror.
The book’s strongest asset is its atmosphere. It exudes an oppressive, bleak sense of impending doom, making it impossible not to feel that something terrible is imminent. Rosson also does a great job of maintaining the supernatural mystery, avoiding overexplanation and keeping you guessing.
If you appreciate folk horror, dark crime fiction, missing-person mysteries, or stories thick with dread, Crone is an essential read. It is a bleak, violent, and unsettling journey, but beneath the horror lies a powerful story of loss and the relentless pursuit of answers.
A potent blend of crime noir and folk horror filled with atmosphere.
My sincere thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an E-arc and the opportunity to share my honest opinion.
August 1, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley for my advanced digital arc.
Eli Lamp is living in the aftermath of the destruction of his life. After his daughter Hannah disappeared over a decade ago, Eli gave himself over to his ongoing addiction and got himself fired as the town’s only detective after blowing everything up investigating her disappearance. Sober and living alone—not including Hannah’s pristine and untouched bedroom—Eli works for the boss of Crooked Wheel, the town’s vicious gang. Eli gets a call to investigate the gang boss’s son’s violent murder and find his killer without letting the local authorities know anything. If Eli can find the murderer, his debt to the gang boss will be cleared.
But nothing about the murder is normal, and then the body goes missing. To add to the confusion and tension, Avery Bryant, Hannah’s best friend and the last person to see Hannah alive, shows up in town because of a dream, and no one wants to see her. While everyone in town seems to be going for each other’s throat, no one wants to acknowledge the darkness lurking in the woods, until that darkness shows its claws.
This is my second Keith Rosson read, and I think it just might be my favorite. I’m not really sure how I managed to pause reading this, it was definitely something to be read in a single day. The story isn’t just spooky from the start, but also horrific. It doesn’t shy away from the horror or the violence, and there is a grief that permeates it between Eli losing his daughter and Avery losing her friend, and everything they lost in between. I wasn’t entirely sure where the novel was going to take me, but I was glad to be a part of the ride, even if it got me a face full of tragedy. I’ll definitely be getting a copy once this one hits the shelves.
Eli Lamp is living in the aftermath of the destruction of his life. After his daughter Hannah disappeared over a decade ago, Eli gave himself over to his ongoing addiction and got himself fired as the town’s only detective after blowing everything up investigating her disappearance. Sober and living alone—not including Hannah’s pristine and untouched bedroom—Eli works for the boss of Crooked Wheel, the town’s vicious gang. Eli gets a call to investigate the gang boss’s son’s violent murder and find his killer without letting the local authorities know anything. If Eli can find the murderer, his debt to the gang boss will be cleared.
But nothing about the murder is normal, and then the body goes missing. To add to the confusion and tension, Avery Bryant, Hannah’s best friend and the last person to see Hannah alive, shows up in town because of a dream, and no one wants to see her. While everyone in town seems to be going for each other’s throat, no one wants to acknowledge the darkness lurking in the woods, until that darkness shows its claws.
This is my second Keith Rosson read, and I think it just might be my favorite. I’m not really sure how I managed to pause reading this, it was definitely something to be read in a single day. The story isn’t just spooky from the start, but also horrific. It doesn’t shy away from the horror or the violence, and there is a grief that permeates it between Eli losing his daughter and Avery losing her friend, and everything they lost in between. I wasn’t entirely sure where the novel was going to take me, but I was glad to be a part of the ride, even if it got me a face full of tragedy. I’ll definitely be getting a copy once this one hits the shelves.
May 21, 2026
The Crone by Keith Rosson honestly was mind-boggling. I received an ARC Kindle copy through NetGalley.
I loved the urban grit of the biker gangs, drugs, and crime mixed with the mystery-thriller atmosphere and horror elements that kept the suspense building with every page turn. The story felt raw, intense, and emotionally charged from start to finish.
I’d rate this book a solid 4.2 stars because, personally, I wanted a little more horror throughout the storyline. Don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed the dark urban atmosphere and the eerie buildup surrounding the Crone. The tension steadily rises until about three-quarters into the book, when the horror elements really begin to hit hard.
Keith Rosson’s writing kept my mind racing the entire time. I found myself constantly trying to piece together the mystery and figure out where the story was heading. Isabelle “Crone” was especially fascinating, and I honestly wish we could get even more background or another book centered around her story.
And when the brutality finally kicks in toward the end, it absolutely delivers. Just when I thought I had the plot figured out and my suspects lined up, the entire dynamic shifted in a way that completely caught me off guard, and made the ending even stronger.
If you enjoy gritty urban thrillers with horror undertones, mystery, suspense, and emotionally raw storytelling, I highly recommend this read.
I loved the urban grit of the biker gangs, drugs, and crime mixed with the mystery-thriller atmosphere and horror elements that kept the suspense building with every page turn. The story felt raw, intense, and emotionally charged from start to finish.
I’d rate this book a solid 4.2 stars because, personally, I wanted a little more horror throughout the storyline. Don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed the dark urban atmosphere and the eerie buildup surrounding the Crone. The tension steadily rises until about three-quarters into the book, when the horror elements really begin to hit hard.
Keith Rosson’s writing kept my mind racing the entire time. I found myself constantly trying to piece together the mystery and figure out where the story was heading. Isabelle “Crone” was especially fascinating, and I honestly wish we could get even more background or another book centered around her story.
And when the brutality finally kicks in toward the end, it absolutely delivers. Just when I thought I had the plot figured out and my suspects lined up, the entire dynamic shifted in a way that completely caught me off guard, and made the ending even stronger.
If you enjoy gritty urban thrillers with horror undertones, mystery, suspense, and emotionally raw storytelling, I highly recommend this read.
August 3, 2026
Thank you Random House for the gifted ARC to read and review.
Eli Lamp is an ex-addict, ex-cop, and grieving father at the end of his rope. His daughter, Hannah, disappeared years ago after getting into a strange van on the highway, and Eli has never forgiven himself for allowing it to happen. He spends his days repaying a debt to a local drug dealer, Dave Novak. When Dave’s son is found murdered, he enlists Eli’s help, and that’s all I want to say because you just have to read this one.
Wow. Keith Rosson has done it again. His writing style, and I cannot overstate this, has me in a complete chokehold from the time I pick up one of his books until I put it back down again.
Crone is so immersive, and just like Coffin Moon, it’s the perfect balance of the devastating realities of being a human and spine tingling supernatural aspects. I was so invested in this story, especially its vivid (and sometimes downright disgusting) imagery and visceral descriptions.
I felt so deeply for the main character, Eli, and all of the things that he did in his desperation. The book is as heartwrenching as it is horrifying.
This is going to be the perfect spooky season, or any season, read. Don’t miss it when it comes out in September.
August 20, 2026
Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the arc!
This was my second Keith Rosson book I've read in a month and I think I'm officially obsessed. Crone was a 5 star read for me. Like, this is going to be THE book I recommend to everyone.
Crone was dark, gritty and creepy. Plus being set in Oregon?? You can't beat that. We follow Eli, an ex cop and ex addict who is struggling with the very harsh reality of his missing daughter Hannah and is indebted to the local motorcycle gang leader. You also get a duo POV with Avery, Hannah's best friend, who was with her when Hannah ultimately got into a strange van and disappeared. The reader also gets insights into Avery's life and why she's suddenly back in their hometown, along with how the impact of Hannah's disappearance affected her.
This book felt heavy with grief and emotional/mental turmoil, it had some really unsettling moments, and I really loved the turn that it took. This is not your typical "witch" book whatsoever.
This was my second Keith Rosson book I've read in a month and I think I'm officially obsessed. Crone was a 5 star read for me. Like, this is going to be THE book I recommend to everyone.
Crone was dark, gritty and creepy. Plus being set in Oregon?? You can't beat that. We follow Eli, an ex cop and ex addict who is struggling with the very harsh reality of his missing daughter Hannah and is indebted to the local motorcycle gang leader. You also get a duo POV with Avery, Hannah's best friend, who was with her when Hannah ultimately got into a strange van and disappeared. The reader also gets insights into Avery's life and why she's suddenly back in their hometown, along with how the impact of Hannah's disappearance affected her.
This book felt heavy with grief and emotional/mental turmoil, it had some really unsettling moments, and I really loved the turn that it took. This is not your typical "witch" book whatsoever.
April 16, 2026
Eli Lamp is an ex-cop and ex-junkie who is mourning the disappearance of his daughter, Hannah, thirteen years prior. Nowadays, Eli serves Dave Novak, head of the local biker gang/drug syndicate, by doing the man’s dirty work. When one of Novak’s sons is brutally killed and the details don’t make sense, Eli and Hannah’s childhood friend Avery start down a path of brutality that could ultimately lead them to what happened to Hannah all those years ago.
Coffin Moon was one of my top 5 favorite reads last year, so I was over the moon to be approved to read Crone early! Witches and crime? Count me tf in. Here are some thoughts I had while reading Crone:
-The setting and gore in this novel are written so well. Gnarly, but not just for the sake of it. The dreary PNW also works so atmospherically - really ups the creepy factor.
-Storylines surrounding drugs - even as secondary plot - just don’t grab or hold my attention, and they never have in any media. I was really hoping that as the story moved on we’d get less and less Dave Novak, but unfortunately he and his henchmen are always at the forefront.
-Avoiding spoilers, I was desperate for more witchy content. We’re teased throughout and it’s definitely there, but always seems to either play second fiddle or is abruptly put to rest/moved on from.
-I needed more Hannah throughout the book, whether in flashback or otherwise. I wanted to see more of how she interacted with Eli and Avery. I feel like the ending would pack an even bigger punch if we had that background.
Overall, in my opinion, too much time was spent on characters and storylines that I didn’t care about and too few pages were used to explore what I was really here to read about. This made the pacing feel off, and I went from feverishly reading to just having to get through certain sections.
As always from Rosson, this book is full of extremely well-written prose. However, I was expecting a different book than what Crone turned out to be, and it wasn’t always to my great interest. Overall, I give it a 3.5/5.
Coffin Moon was one of my top 5 favorite reads last year, so I was over the moon to be approved to read Crone early! Witches and crime? Count me tf in. Here are some thoughts I had while reading Crone:
-The setting and gore in this novel are written so well. Gnarly, but not just for the sake of it. The dreary PNW also works so atmospherically - really ups the creepy factor.
-Storylines surrounding drugs - even as secondary plot - just don’t grab or hold my attention, and they never have in any media. I was really hoping that as the story moved on we’d get less and less Dave Novak, but unfortunately he and his henchmen are always at the forefront.
-Avoiding spoilers, I was desperate for more witchy content. We’re teased throughout and it’s definitely there, but always seems to either play second fiddle or is abruptly put to rest/moved on from.
-I needed more Hannah throughout the book, whether in flashback or otherwise. I wanted to see more of how she interacted with Eli and Avery. I feel like the ending would pack an even bigger punch if we had that background.
Overall, in my opinion, too much time was spent on characters and storylines that I didn’t care about and too few pages were used to explore what I was really here to read about. This made the pacing feel off, and I went from feverishly reading to just having to get through certain sections.
As always from Rosson, this book is full of extremely well-written prose. However, I was expecting a different book than what Crone turned out to be, and it wasn’t always to my great interest. Overall, I give it a 3.5/5.
April 18, 2026
When it comes to reading, there’s not much better than a book you can’t put down. Flying through the pages, eager to experience what’s next, but also not ready for it to end. That’s been my experience with each book I’ve read from Keith Rosson, and I need to devour every word he’s written.
I’m rusty with reviews and was surprisingly blessed with a review copy of CRONE, courtesy of Netgalley and Random House. Just when I thought I couldn’t love Rosson’s writing more than I did with Coffin Moon, I was proven wrong with Crone.
Rosson’s characters come alive and it’s impossible not to become entrenched in their world. He writes some of the best stories featuring flawed, human characters. Crone has excellent pacing, plot, and atmosphere. I’ve never been to the pacific northwest but I was transported to the environment in this novel.
Rosson is a front runner among authors writing heartfelt horror, and just like in Coffin Moon, with Crone, he shines a light on the horror of humanity with the perfect balance of the supernatural.
I laughed, cried, and felt the tension as I followed this story. I’d file this under “grief horror with grit” and cannot wait to see what this author does next. In the meantime I’ll be snagging copies of his previous work to tide me over.
I’m rusty with reviews and was surprisingly blessed with a review copy of CRONE, courtesy of Netgalley and Random House. Just when I thought I couldn’t love Rosson’s writing more than I did with Coffin Moon, I was proven wrong with Crone.
Rosson’s characters come alive and it’s impossible not to become entrenched in their world. He writes some of the best stories featuring flawed, human characters. Crone has excellent pacing, plot, and atmosphere. I’ve never been to the pacific northwest but I was transported to the environment in this novel.
Rosson is a front runner among authors writing heartfelt horror, and just like in Coffin Moon, with Crone, he shines a light on the horror of humanity with the perfect balance of the supernatural.
I laughed, cried, and felt the tension as I followed this story. I’d file this under “grief horror with grit” and cannot wait to see what this author does next. In the meantime I’ll be snagging copies of his previous work to tide me over.
March 26, 2026
Crone is a fast moving, constantly evolving story. I really loved how the crone was introduced into the story and her characteristics!
There are so many twists that really add to the story.
There are a lot of characters to follow, but the author made it easy to not get confused.
This is a great read for 2026!
There are so many twists that really add to the story.
There are a lot of characters to follow, but the author made it easy to not get confused.
This is a great read for 2026!
June 23, 2026
4.5 ⭐️ I do love a revenge motive in my mystery books
April 11, 2026
Keith Rosson is a master storyteller who intertwines grit with heart to create incredible characters in unputdownable stories. Crone, like Coffin Moon and the Fever House duology follows in this vein. I found the characters and the dark and gritty story mesmerizing. Crone feels like Sons of Anarchy blended with a witch story and it works beautifully. As a fellow Portlander, I am always thrilled to see a local author thrive and Keith Rosson deserves every accolade for his body of work. He is a must read author for me and I highly recommend Crone
Thanks to Random House and NetGalley following providing me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Thanks to Random House and NetGalley following providing me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
March 31, 2026
Keith Rosson’s unflinching ability to create brutal and bleak worlds that move at 100mph is something that should see him rise to the top of the horror writing genre.
Crone is the fourth book I’ve read of his, after the Fever House duology and Coffin Moon, and I think Crone is my favourite.
As a father, it drives into the fears of not being able to protect your child. The horror of not knowing what happened after the disappearance of the main character’s daughter, and the brutal nature of how his life turned paints a grim but fascinating tale.
I had previously described reading a Keith Rosson book as like being punched in the face for a few hundred pages, I’d now add the twist of a knife in the gut to that analogy in the best possible way.
Crone is the fourth book I’ve read of his, after the Fever House duology and Coffin Moon, and I think Crone is my favourite.
As a father, it drives into the fears of not being able to protect your child. The horror of not knowing what happened after the disappearance of the main character’s daughter, and the brutal nature of how his life turned paints a grim but fascinating tale.
I had previously described reading a Keith Rosson book as like being punched in the face for a few hundred pages, I’d now add the twist of a knife in the gut to that analogy in the best possible way.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
As a fellow Portlander, it was with no small amount of hometown pride that I was extolling the virtues of Coffin Moon to all of my horror-reading friends. It was my first book of Rosson's, and I loved it. So I was super excited to have been offered an ARC of Crone on NetGalley, which I swallowed up with equal eagerness. While I didn't love it quite as much as Coffin Moon, I think Rosson has done an excellent job here and this book has a lot to offer horror fans - it just wasn't quite what I was expecting.
Having read Coffin Moon, and considering a title like Crone, I anticipated a significant element of the supernatural. While it was definitely present, the main focus of the story is on human horror - how awful people can be to one another, how terrible grief is, and how shattering loneliness can lead us to do drastic, desperate things. Coffin Moon's Varney wasn't terrible just because he was a vampire, after all - he was terrible in a wholly human way and the vampirism only amplified it. In Crone, it's the people who are terrible, and it's a rather bleak treatise on the human experience.
A lot of similarities with Coffin Moon (and I will try not to compare the two so much) leave me wondering whether that's just a Rosson trademark - a bereaved man, a desperate young woman, a lot of meditation on family, love, and loss. A bloody thread of vengeance throughout. Only Crone turns up the dial on violence, brutality, and our heroes thinking they have nothing left to lose. They may not be entirely right.
Back to the supernatural aspect. It starts off small, but present, and is weaved into the story thinly at first. The focus is, again, on humanity, and that driving force is drugs, despair, and desolation. Eli Lamp is a former detective who lost everything, and now finds himself indebted to and working as an enforcer for a drug kingpin in their misty, damp Oregon Coast town. The police are on the take. The motorcycle club runs the show, and they run it violently and bloodily. The gore factor is high, and awful things happen to just about everyone.
Which brings me to my main issue with this book - the violence against women.
The pacing throughout the novel felt off for me. The middle dragged a bit, focusing too much on drugs, gangs, and violence and omitting the creepy supernatural bent that I came here for. When the titular crone did arrive, it was in an exposition of exposition that would have been better served spread throughout the story. Including more of the supernatural aspect earlier on and balancing it better with the real-world would've felt more effective. Generally, this feels like a bit of a sophomore effort when it isn't, and I'd like to see Rosson return to his supernatural horror roots.
At the same time, the conclusion of the story had that heart-wrenching Rosson touch that made me tear up. He's masterful at weaving together terror and heartbreak in a way that sticks with you long after you've turned the final page.
Having read Coffin Moon, and considering a title like Crone, I anticipated a significant element of the supernatural. While it was definitely present, the main focus of the story is on human horror - how awful people can be to one another, how terrible grief is, and how shattering loneliness can lead us to do drastic, desperate things. Coffin Moon's Varney wasn't terrible just because he was a vampire, after all - he was terrible in a wholly human way and the vampirism only amplified it. In Crone, it's the people who are terrible, and it's a rather bleak treatise on the human experience.
A lot of similarities with Coffin Moon (and I will try not to compare the two so much) leave me wondering whether that's just a Rosson trademark - a bereaved man, a desperate young woman, a lot of meditation on family, love, and loss. A bloody thread of vengeance throughout. Only Crone turns up the dial on violence, brutality, and our heroes thinking they have nothing left to lose. They may not be entirely right.
Back to the supernatural aspect. It starts off small, but present, and is weaved into the story thinly at first. The focus is, again, on humanity, and that driving force is drugs, despair, and desolation. Eli Lamp is a former detective who lost everything, and now finds himself indebted to and working as an enforcer for a drug kingpin in their misty, damp Oregon Coast town. The police are on the take. The motorcycle club runs the show, and they run it violently and bloodily. The gore factor is high, and awful things happen to just about everyone.
Which brings me to my main issue with this book - the violence against women.
The pacing throughout the novel felt off for me. The middle dragged a bit, focusing too much on drugs, gangs, and violence and omitting the creepy supernatural bent that I came here for. When the titular crone did arrive, it was in an exposition of exposition that would have been better served spread throughout the story. Including more of the supernatural aspect earlier on and balancing it better with the real-world would've felt more effective. Generally, this feels like a bit of a sophomore effort when it isn't, and I'd like to see Rosson return to his supernatural horror roots.
At the same time, the conclusion of the story had that heart-wrenching Rosson touch that made me tear up. He's masterful at weaving together terror and heartbreak in a way that sticks with you long after you've turned the final page.
May 14, 2026
Crone introduces us to Eli Lamp, a former cop and drug addict who is now a lackey for a local biker gang. Thirteen years before, Eli’s daughter climbed into a van and was never seen again, and this event has shaped Eli’s life ever since. He wants answers, but more than that, he wants revenge. So far, neither has been forthcoming. When Abby Bryant, his daughter’s best friend, rolls back into town, a series of events leads to an endless dominoing of bad turns, finding Eli on the hunt for his final revenge and Abby deep in a strange world of elemental magic. Oh, and more revenge.
I look forward to a new Keith Rosson novel like it’s my birthday, and there’s a lot to celebrate about Crone.
Rosson continues to build out his extended universe as a nightmare Pacific Northwest of biker gangs and people forever on the edge. This paranormal noir universe feels like a known place now, and it’s clearly a fruitful sandbox within which Rosson can play out these dark dramas.
Not content with playing around with traditional horror tropes (zombies, vampires, witches), Rosson is also getting more playful with his world-building, inventing the fictional drug, “wire,” and turning it loose within his story. On the one hand, wire could be any drug, but the descriptions of users pushing hanks of crystal-razored wire under their finger and toenails is both stomach-churning and almost Cronenbergian in its horror.
The horror-noir of Crone delivers on both genre’s expectations. The characters here are pitch black, with just the smallest glimmer of light buried down under decades worth of guilt and resentments. And they’re are all trapped within a world of crime and violence too deep to ever hope to really get out. Oh, and there’s also a horrifying crone-thing that will rip people in half with its bare hands. Crone contains scenes of violence that are downright lyrical, all with enough blood to fill seven books.
But it’s Rossen’s character work that continues to carry the day. He manages to make Eli Lamp—an absolute piece of wet dogshit—into a character who is not only compelling but sympathetic. Eli doesn’t really grow or change over the course of the novel. What growth he might have experienced happened earlier, before the story’s opening, but we watch him suffer like some kind of martyred saint, and like the story of some martyred saint, there’s something moving about the shape of his pain.
Abby Bryant is a little less well-drawn, and maybe that’s because her traumas are a little less obvious. But she also points to a larger question about the novel as a whole. For a book that is essentially a gritty, blood-soaked “Good for her,” extravaganza in which a vengeful witch tears through a couple of biker gangs and one sheriff’s station worth of bad dudes, it feels weird to have Eli as our main entry into the book. Which is just another way of saying that Crone walks a thin line between holding up a mirror to a particular type of violent masculinity and reveling in it.
It needn’t be that way. Abby’s point of view gives the reader a much clearer view of this warped world of chest-pounding “alpha” sociopaths. For her it is utter terror, and it follows her—literally—everywhere she goes.
Rosson’s take on the vampire in his excellent Coffin Moon is mostly familiar, but with a kind of quiet feral quality that feels new and exciting. These monsters might be viking warriors or they might be a house full of pale children. Either way, they all seem to exist both right in the center of everyday life and just outside of view.
The crone, however, is more singular. She is a monster. She may be a kind of mother-monster, but we see very little of the human in the witch. And maybe there’s something to that. Maybe the soul-squandering nature of revenge is what the book is really all about, and maybe Eli Lamp and the Crone are just two different versions of the same song, but I truly wish that there was something more to this potentially rich figure.
Those concerns aside, if you love Rosson’s earlier work, there’s plenty more to love in Crone. Because Keith Rossen knows how to show you a good time while having a very, very bad time.
I look forward to a new Keith Rosson novel like it’s my birthday, and there’s a lot to celebrate about Crone.
Rosson continues to build out his extended universe as a nightmare Pacific Northwest of biker gangs and people forever on the edge. This paranormal noir universe feels like a known place now, and it’s clearly a fruitful sandbox within which Rosson can play out these dark dramas.
Not content with playing around with traditional horror tropes (zombies, vampires, witches), Rosson is also getting more playful with his world-building, inventing the fictional drug, “wire,” and turning it loose within his story. On the one hand, wire could be any drug, but the descriptions of users pushing hanks of crystal-razored wire under their finger and toenails is both stomach-churning and almost Cronenbergian in its horror.
The horror-noir of Crone delivers on both genre’s expectations. The characters here are pitch black, with just the smallest glimmer of light buried down under decades worth of guilt and resentments. And they’re are all trapped within a world of crime and violence too deep to ever hope to really get out. Oh, and there’s also a horrifying crone-thing that will rip people in half with its bare hands. Crone contains scenes of violence that are downright lyrical, all with enough blood to fill seven books.
But it’s Rossen’s character work that continues to carry the day. He manages to make Eli Lamp—an absolute piece of wet dogshit—into a character who is not only compelling but sympathetic. Eli doesn’t really grow or change over the course of the novel. What growth he might have experienced happened earlier, before the story’s opening, but we watch him suffer like some kind of martyred saint, and like the story of some martyred saint, there’s something moving about the shape of his pain.
Abby Bryant is a little less well-drawn, and maybe that’s because her traumas are a little less obvious. But she also points to a larger question about the novel as a whole. For a book that is essentially a gritty, blood-soaked “Good for her,” extravaganza in which a vengeful witch tears through a couple of biker gangs and one sheriff’s station worth of bad dudes, it feels weird to have Eli as our main entry into the book. Which is just another way of saying that Crone walks a thin line between holding up a mirror to a particular type of violent masculinity and reveling in it.
It needn’t be that way. Abby’s point of view gives the reader a much clearer view of this warped world of chest-pounding “alpha” sociopaths. For her it is utter terror, and it follows her—literally—everywhere she goes.
Rosson’s take on the vampire in his excellent Coffin Moon is mostly familiar, but with a kind of quiet feral quality that feels new and exciting. These monsters might be viking warriors or they might be a house full of pale children. Either way, they all seem to exist both right in the center of everyday life and just outside of view.
The crone, however, is more singular. She is a monster. She may be a kind of mother-monster, but we see very little of the human in the witch. And maybe there’s something to that. Maybe the soul-squandering nature of revenge is what the book is really all about, and maybe Eli Lamp and the Crone are just two different versions of the same song, but I truly wish that there was something more to this potentially rich figure.
Those concerns aside, if you love Rosson’s earlier work, there’s plenty more to love in Crone. Because Keith Rossen knows how to show you a good time while having a very, very bad time.
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